


november.

by fkeyouout



Series: million dollar man. [2]
Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Comfort, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, M/M, Meet the Family, Meeting the Parents, Thanksgiving
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-28
Updated: 2017-12-24
Packaged: 2019-02-02 11:34:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12725862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fkeyouout/pseuds/fkeyouout





	1. i.

tyler joseph was not a nervous person, and that was a fact of which josh would confirm with just as much certainty as the fact that he was completely and utterly in love with the older man.

he'd witnessed the brunette minutes before going into some of the most important meetings of his career and making speeches in front of people more famous than the younger could even begin to comprehend, yet the only time he'd ever seen even the slightest waver in his boyfriend's unbreakable confidence was on _that_ morning, in which the existence of josh's favourite little doe-eyed clone had been revealed.

so, seeing him look to be a visual representation of what josh admittedly felt like on the inside was of course a shock; an adorable shock though, and one that left the blue-haired boy biting down on his bottom lip in the way he was usually so scolded for just to stifle his oncoming laugh.

"you look like you're waiting in line for a death sentence."

"that's exactly what it feels like," tyler retorted without missing a single beat, nose twitching ever so slightly and his gaze flickering back to where his car was parked up behind the two of them with an almost desperate glint in his eyes, as though he was internally debating making a quick dash back to the comfort of the overly-expensive leather seats.

"and i thought i was the dramatic one," the younger snorted in amusement, much to his boyfriend's annoyance if the brief glare he received in response was anything to go by, "ty, you meet with big shot musicians all of the time and pretty much all of your friends are intimidating as hell millionaires, or celebrities with a horde of paparazzi right behind them.. yet you're worried about meeting _my parents?"_

if josh was being honest, he'd been a little nervous of the idea himself when his mother had first called and requested, or more or less demanded in the most polite way possible, that he go back home for thanksgiving that year, but he was also more than certain that he'd faced situations more nerve-wracking than introducing his family to his boss-turned-boyfriend.

situations like meeting said boss-turned-boyfriend himself for the very first time. 

"the last time i met someone's parents was when i was a charmingly cocky 19 year old, joshua," the brunette sighed, a hint of distaste lacing itself in his tone at the simple reminder alone of his previous relationship, and the hand not tucked into his coat pocket reaching upwards to card through the freshly trimmed curls at the nape of his neck in a move josh was all too familiar with now, "i don't do this sort of thing."

"you might not be a 19 year old anymore," the blue-haired boy hummed, looping one arm around the older man's waist in a move to tug them closer together and peering up at him with a smile that was somewhere between reassuring and teasing, "but you're still charming and they're gonna love you, i promise.. _everybody_ loves you."

breathy laugh coming out in the form of an almost smoke-like cloud in the cold november air, and a faint smile drawing on his lips for the first time since the two of them had left on their trip the night prior, tyler pointed out in response, "you hated me for quite a while after we first met, if i remember correctly, kitten."

and as much as josh wished he could deny that accusation with a pout and a kiss overflowing with adoration?

it was an undeniable fact, known to just about everyone within their immediate presence other than the press.

"that's only 'cause you were trying to keep up your big bad wolf reputation by being an asshole to me," josh corrected, mind instantly flooding with memories of the not so conventional start to their relationship built on glares of annoyance and insults muttered beneath his breath, and the anticipated feeling of his cheeks beginning to burn with a faint flush at the still swoon-worthy pet name making itself known.

he'd still blame the latter on the cold weather though, just to avoid giving his boyfriend the everlasting satisfaction of being able to turn him into a near-speechless puddle of infatuation upon the utterance of that one murmured word alone.

"but you don't have anything to prove to my parents.. just be yourself."

"..do they know who i am?" the older man asked in what was almost another sigh, eyebrows furrowing in the way that left that adorable wrinkle between them and his tongue darting out to swipe nervously across his slightly chapped bottom lip, just as his gaze dropped back down to linger ever so briefly on the younger's own bitten lips with his next murmur, " _god,_ that sounded pretentious."

ignoring his inner urge to laugh once more at his boyfriend's so obvious yet bizarre bout of nerves, the blue-haired boy answered simply with a shrug, "kind of? i mean.. they definitely saw that article that came out about us a few weeks ago.. not that you did a great job of disguising the fact that you're essentially drowning in money anyway."

perhaps his parents weren't well versed in the world of modern music and it's selection of millionaire record label bosses, but josh was sure that just one glance at the man currently wrapped up in his arms would scream the fact that money was far from a worry for him; tyler, as usual, suited up in a crisp white shirt and tight fitting pants, despite the younger's insistence that he really didn't have to be so formal around his family, a flecked wool sweater tugged over the top and the whole look completed by his burberry cashmere coat and colour-matched grey scarf.

if he didn't look so handsome, even with the addition of the flush tinting the tip of his nose from the cool winter wind, then josh definitely would've called him an asshole for his outfit of choice.

"what do you mean?" tyler asked, seemingly oblivious to the younger's insinuation but apparently not all too concerned with the answer to his question either; the other man's focus instead remaining on his lips and the hand previously tangled in his still perfectly styled hair slyly slipping itself into to back pocket of josh's skinny jeans.

"i mean your coat alone probably cost more than every single thing in my wardrobe, and it's obvious.. not to mention the fact that there's a damn mercedes parked on my parent's driveway right now," josh hummed knowingly, although the slight squeeze of his boyfriend's hand in his pocket washed away every lingering concern he had within a split second; lips parting in an inaudible gasp and the shade of his cheeks darkening as he whined in an attempted scold, "..ty, stop."

"hush, kitten."

and though he was already considerably certain of it beforehand, the feeling of the brunette's lips capturing his own in a slow kiss only confirmed the fact that it had fast become the blue-haired boy's favourite way of being silenced; a faint hint of the black coffee tyler had drank on the drive down earlier in the morning still lingering on his tongue, and the comforting scent of his woodsy aftershave sending josh a little dizzy with infatuation as he tightened his hold.

josh was also sure that he would've happily stood there in the cold, toes going numb and cheeks burning from a combination of the bitter wind and his undying bashfulness, until he had kissed his unfairly handsome boyfriend breathless, if only the unexpected cough sounding from behind the two of them hadn't rudely interrupted.

"you could've at least waited until you were in your bedroom, or you know.. not in full view of all of the neighbours."

cheeks instantly flaring the deep rosy shade that was becoming more or less permanent as of late, and his grip on the older man's coat tightening at the feeling of him attempting to pull away out of politeness, josh replied simply with an exaggerated roll of his eyes; turning to face the redhead leaning up against the frame of the front door with an unimpressed glare in spite of his lingering embarrassment.

"happy thanksgiving to you too, ash."

"you're welcome, dog breath," ashley beamed, unbothered by the sarcasm, or even greeting him properly, and apparently more interested in inspecting the brunette still pressed into his side with a tilt of her head.

whisper low in his ear, and the amusement so obviously lacing itself into his tone, tyler asked, "dog breath?"

"don't ask," the younger dismissed instantly with groan, resting his head against his boyfriend's shoulder and untangling his grip on the overly expensive coat to instead lace their fingers together with a comforting squeeze before humming, "ash, this is tyler. ty, that's ashley.. one of two sisters that i somehow got blessed with."

"oh, i know," his sister added with a smile, only confirming the dreaded fact his family were already well aware of just who tyler was, as she stepped out onto the porch with a shiver; arms crossing tighter across her chest and signalling towards the door with her head as she spoke, "it's nice to finally meet you, _mr. joseph."_

maybe, josh considered, he really should've gotten over the allure of that name already, given the fact that he was prone to hearing it on a daily basis in the office anyway, but it still somehow managed to send a shiver down his spine without fail every damn time; one that he'd never be able to simply blame on the cool wind alone, and one that was obvious to the older man too if the breathy laugh into faded blue curls was telling of his thoughts.

god damn.

"don't call him-"

"it's a pleasure to meet you too, ashley," the brunette interrupted with a flash of that ever-captivating smile, returning the movement of soothing by grazing the pad of his thumb gently across josh's knuckles to serve as a wordless apology before continuing on without even a falter in his words, "i wish i could say that i knew more about you, but i'm sure we'll get along just fine if you're anything like joshua."

so much for not being prepared.

naturally charming asshole.

unable to hold back his entertained snort at the sudden appearance of this foreign version of his boyfriend, that was admittedly just as attractive as the side of the older man built on low growls and tight grips on bare hips and tugs of his hair whenever the two of them found themselves beneath the sheets, or even in more experimental places as of late, josh knocked his arm against tyler's own playfully with a murmured "suck up," beneath his breath.

and to say that josh didn't take pleasure in the supposedly scolding, and incredibly sly slap to the ass that he recieved in response would've been a complete and utter lie.

"i like him already," ashley hummed, a flash of a wink being shot in the brunette's direction and seemingly unaware of the touch despite the quiet squeak that'd fallen from the blue-haired boy's lip upon impact, as she turned and stalked back into the warmth of their family home with a final call back to the two of them, "and hurry up, 'cause i think mom is going to burst if she has to wait a second longer."

stealing another quick kiss, and a shared glance of encouragement, josh asked simply, "ready?"

"ready."


	2. ii.

there were a lot of things in josh's life that he knew he never would've been able to predict, or even begin to imagine in some of his far too common daydreams, but by far the weirdest one that he'd ever encountered was the image that'd taken place in his family kitchen less than five minutes prior, he decided.

because as unimaginable as it was already that he was dating the only and only tyler joseph, what was even more bizarre to him was the sight of the older man around his family; being pulled into an instant, overly affectionate hug by his mother and having his cheeks pinched childishly as she gushed over just how handsome he was, exchanging a quiet laugh with his usually reserved father as the two of them shared some kind of joke that the younger couldn't quite hear in the midst of the commotion and even being silently fawned over by his youngest sister - her cheeks instantly mirroring his own with a rosy flush when his boyfriend introduced himself with another flash of that heavenly smile, and her seemingly smitten gaze following him as he settled beside jordan on the couch in the lounge.

as bizarre as it may have seemed though, their instant reaction to the brunette hadn't been shocking in the slightest.

he was an unfairly charming asshole, after all, and josh was convinced that it was damn near impossible to not fall in love with him upon first sight.

"stop looking at him like that," josh smirked, playfully pushing his sisters head with a quick ruffle of her hair as he passed behind the armchair she was sprawled across, and instead settling onto the armrest as he added teasingly, "i get that he's like.. seriously super freaking hot, but he's _my_ boyfriend.. and almost double your age, kid."

a glare being shot in his direction, that the blue-haired boy had learnt to be the signal of a wordless 'shut up' through endless years of trivial sibling squabbles, and her foot outstretching to kick his thigh, abby disregarded his comment with a question of her own. 

"so, is he like.. your sugar daddy or something?"

"what? _no,_ i-" he stuttered in defence, damn near choking on his surprised inhale of breath at the inquiry that probably would've been laughable if his little sister hadn't been so serious, "it's not like.. _wait,_ how do you even know what that is?"

"i'm 15, j.. not a complete idiot."

really, josh considered, his boyfriend did tick off the list of qualities that were part of every sugar daddy quota - older, drowning in money, and willing to buy anything and everything that the younger so much as glanced at or mentioned an interest in without second thought, but he was also certain that their relationship was far from comparable to those other 'couples', with their love revolving around nothing but each other.

the money, and brief fame that came with being the so-called 'toy boy' of tyler joseph, just so happened to be an unnecessary and sometimes unwanted bonus.

"ty is _not_ my sugar daddy," josh reiterated, nose scrunching up in distaste for even the thought alone as his trailed his gaze over to where his boyfriend was perched on the edge of the couch just beside his brother, and feeling his heart swell pathetically at the sight; a console controller now in hand and his tongue poking out between his teeth in concentration as he nodded at something the younger boy said, "so please don't say that around mom and dad, or even to ty.. you'll end up giving him some kind of complex about our relationship."

a teasing smirk tugging at her lips, and an eyebrow quirking in his direction that felt all too similar to the questioning look that was so often sent his way by his boyfriend, abby started somewhat seriously, "come on.. even you've gotta admit that it could look slightly suspicious. the fact that you're suddenly dating your boss who happens to be older than you _and_ insanely rich? sounds like the basic plot of a sugar daddy fanfiction or something, j."

and apparently, any response other than a disinterested roll of his eyes and an ignorance of her theorising wasn't going to work in shutting down his sister so easily.

"i'm not even gonna talk about this with you," the blue-haired boy sighed, only slightly annoyed at the sudden judgement that he really should've been expecting the second the two of them walked through the door, and had already faced from the media world too, as he pushed the younger's foot away from where it was resting on his thigh and stood from his makeshift seat, "asshole."

"you big baby," she sassed in response, the growing of the unseen grin on her face being obvious in her tone, and the inescapable blush of his cheeks making yet another reappearance at the 'baby' coo alone; his mind instantly flooding with echoes of the older man's own moans of that very pet name and memories  of strong hands tugging at his hair less than a day prior.

fuck.

willing the annoyingly obvious flush on his cheeks to die down as he crossed the living room, and regretfully wishing those unfairly vivid thoughts away, josh slumped down on the opposite side of the brunette with a huff of embarrassment; leaning across to rest his chin on tyler's shoulder and attempting to involve himself in the ongoing conversation with jordan instead.

"you thinking about studying it at college?" tyler asked with a genuine interest that the younger rarely heard in his voice, with a brief glance over at the other brunette before returning his gaze to the round of mario kart playing on the screen; the split screen proudly displaying a 1st place icon beneath his yoshi who was already a whole lap in front of jordan's luigi.

_of course_ he was winning.

with a half-hearted shrug of his shoulders, and another mash of the controller buttons in his frustration at the fact that he was lagging behind in the race, jordan admitted, "i think so.. my parents don't really think it's a great idea or a sensible career choice, but they didn't want josh to become a journalist either, and look how that turned out."

and of course, he'd wished for the rosy shade tinting his cheeks to disappear, but not necessarily in that way; fingers instantly freezing up where they were tracing absentminded patterns along his boyfriend's thigh and every ounce of colour seeming to drain from his face in a singular, split second at the lone mention, and simple reminder, of his previous job that'd caused more problems than he could count.

god damn.

"well, i think studying media and photography is an awesome idea," his boyfriend countered in clear ignorance of any conversation regarding the topic they both tended to avoid, though turned his head to press a sneaky kiss of reassurance to the tip of josh's nose anyway; his lips twisting back up into a supportive smile as he continued on, "there's always artists out there looking for photographers and creative directors, if that's a direction you're interested in taking it in, and i'd be more than happy to help with that when the time comes.. which colleges have you been looking into?"

"new york looks so sick, man, so i started looking into moving out of state but i don't know.." jordan hesitated, bottom lip getting tugged between his teeth gently as he readjusted his position on the couch and tapped a combination of buttons to start up the next race on screen, "it'd be cheaper to stay home, so it'll probably be ohio state. maybe kent."

to say that the look that suddenly appeared on tyler's face was an unfamiliar one would've been a complete and utter fucking lie; tongue swiping across his bottom lip and his eyes glinting with a hint of immediate interest. 

" _no._ "

turning to face josh at the unexpected interruption, with an adorable furrow of his brows and a look of what the younger assumed to be mock confusion, the older man asked innocently, "no what?"

"i know exactly what it means when you get that look on your face, because it happens every time you try to buy me something that i don't need," the younger pointed out as he reached the hand previously resting on his boyfriend's thigh up to rest on his warm cheek instead; thumb grazing along the line of his cheekbone as he protested, "and you are absolutely _not_ offering to pay for my brother's college tuition."

so much for not acting like his damn sugar daddy.

"joshua, i-"

"nope," josh cut off once more before the brunette could even begin to defend his absurd, although admittedly heartwarming, idea, and decided to use tyler's own favourite method of silencing by tugging him forward into a soft kiss; both the accidental bump of their noses, and the simultaneous feeling of tyler's lips twisting into an amused smile against his own making his stomach twist sickeningly with the reminder that this really was _real._ voice barely a whisper as they separated with a quiet hum, the blue-haired boy added, "i appreciate the thought, ty.. i seriously do, but i could never let you do that."

and though his boyfriend's understanding nod seemed to communicate an agreement on the topic, the lingering glint in his eyes somehow suggested that this wasn't the last time josh would hear about it.

"dude," his brother murmured in disruption of any further debate, mouth gaping ever so slightly and his tone laced with a hint of disbelief as he glanced back up at tyler, "how are you so good at this game? you weren't even looking at the screen just and you still won."

his breathy laugh in response sending another round of shivers down the younger's spine, despite having heard that sound now more times than he could even begin to count, tyler met the other brunette's amazed stare with a smile; controller now abandoned in his lap and his hand resting just above josh's knee with a faint squeeze as he shrugged, "it's my son's favourite game, so i guess you could say i get roped into playing it a lot, and it's unsurprisingly easy to master a game when you're playing against a 5 year old all the time."

fuck.

he definitely hadn't been expecting _that_ \- the acknowledgement of the youngest member of their tiny family being something that josh knew the two of them would have to face eventually, but not something that he'd been anticipating the older man to reveal upon first meeting. especially given the fact that their privacy was something that still stressed tyler out immensely, even if he was unwilling to say so out loud.

and if the bewildered looks painted both of his youngest sibling's faces were anything to go by? then they definitely hadn't been expecting that either.

"i guess we're just dropping all of the big bombshells at once, then.." 

barely even giving the blue-haired boy time to comprehend the fact that his family were now well aware of what had once been kept a secret, even from him, or even allowing tyler to regret the words that had slipped from his lips so easily, abby interrupted the passing beats of silence with yet another question that damn near made josh choke on the spot.

"so does that mean that you're like.. _a dad_ now?"

maybe, josh considered, that his sister's blunt question wasn't exactly the right choice of words to use, given that they filled his mind with a litany of images that left his heart feeling weak, and him craving exactly that; visions of max sat in his lap and giggling sweetly at his own ramblings as the older man cooked breakfast for the three of them across the room, or the little one curled up against his chest and snoring lightly as that tiny pixie nose twitched in his sleep, and even a daydream of him and tyler stood outside of the school gates, hands linked and an overjoyed smile on his face as a backpack-wielding max ran into school.

he also really wished that he wasn't so weak that his every emotion was so readable on his face, in the form of blushing cheeks and a bitten bottom lip, given that the brunette instantly looked back to meet his own gaze with an unidentifiable flash of something new in his eyes.

"i-"

with the sudden appearance of his mother peering around the frame of the door, a dishcloth in hand and a beaming smile on her face, the younger felt his words falter into nothing but dead air instead; not that he'd had a proper response prepared anyway, with the question being one he hadn't even thought of himself until that very second, and the way tyler was looking at him being something that left him speechless, and about ready to melt into a puddle of bashfulness, regardless.

"dinner's ready, kids."

 ~

not that josh was necessarily surprised, but it was definitely safe to say that tyler joseph had won over the hearts of each and every member of his family in the space of their thanksgiving dinner alone; his mother in particular appearing to be his new number one fan, with the older woman catching his attention at any opportunity to talk all things max, who she'd requested to meet after being shown an 'adorable' picture on the older man's phone of the little one sat on josh's lap behind the drum kit and clutching a pair of drumsticks with a grin, and also all things josh, including every embarrassing story from his childhood that she could possibly remember.

just when he thought his bad luck was beginning to come to an end.

and of course, the smug asshole had managed to make every female around the table swoon sickeningly when he confessed to being thankful for the blue-haired boy himself that year, although if josh was being completely honest, the words did make his heart flutter nauseatingly too. 

god damn tyler joseph.

and while he completely adored the sight of his boyfriend getting along so well with his family, and couldn't have wished for a better outcome of their first visit, having to spend his whole day sharing the brunette's attention and losing out on time with him when he'd disappeared out back to shoot hoops with jordan, or when he'd charmingly offered to help clear the kitchen and wash the dishes, was more than enough to form a juvenile pout on josh's lips - which is exactly why he'd been so pleased when all of them had gathered in the living room that evening for their usual family tradition of watching a christmas movie together, and his boyfriend had returned back into his needy hold.

that was until the older man's phone rang mid-movie, at least; the vibrations in his pocket making the younger squirm where he was pressed up against tyler's chest, and peer up at the brunette quizzically with a sudden loss of interest for the festive shenanigans on screen.

the free hand that wasn't already linked with josh's own over his shoulder reaching for the phone, tyler tugged it out of his pocket with a glance at the lit-up screen; sleepy eyes brightening instantly, and the corners of his lips curving up into a smile as he turned the device towards josh instead, to display the incoming facetime call from who he could only assume to be his boyfriend's ex as he mouthed an explanatory "max."

and though josh wasn't particularly keen on the idea of losing his personal heater, he considered that fact that max would always be worth it.

especially when it meant that the older man got that look on his face.

hesitance clearly readable in the way that his bottom lip instinctively jutted out in the beginnings of a pout, and the way his hold on the brunette's other hand tightened ever so slightly though, tyler leant over to murmur a quiet reassurance, one only audible to the two of them, into his ear; voice low and velvety as always, and damn near leaving the younger unable to even consider arguing.

"i promise i won't be long."

and with that, his boyfriend was gone again; shuffling out from the space underneath the blue-haired boy as quietly as physically possible, and with another quick peck of reassurance to the top of his head in the midst of the faded curls, before tiptoeing out of the living room and up the stairs as the distant greeting squeal of the little one sounded through the speaker of his phone.

but as it had always been, even from the slightly unconventional beginning to their relationship, josh was unable to last more than a dismal five minutes without the older man before his fingers began to twitch and his mind began to wander like the obedient and admittedly clingy puppy he was; less focused on the christmas music echoing through their living room, and mind wandering to thoughts of his favourite two people instead as he stood from the couch and mumbled a somewhat believable excuse for his own sudden departure, before making an impatient dash to his childhood bedroom.

and yeah, josh decided.

the sight of his boyfriend, smile softer than ever before and faint dimples beginning to form on his cheeks as his adoring gaze followed his son on the screen, was definitely a sight more heartwarming than the cliche family reunion ending to the movie playing downstairs.

"i'm not interrupting you, am i?" the younger murmured uncertainly, bottom lip being tugged between his teeth as the older man glanced over at him with only a slight waver of surprise, and quietly nudged the door shut behind him. 

"not at all, baby," tyler dismissed in instant reassurance, with a flash of that loving smile once more as he directed his attention back to the glowing screen in hand; voice instantly softening again in the way that it always did without fail around the little one as he asked, "pup, do you want to show joshie what mommy bought you?"

and the excited cheer that rang through the speaker, one that the blue-haired boy had admittedly missed hearing over the past week or so, was more than enough of an answer.

padding quietly across the room to close the unwanted gap between the two of them, josh didn't even hesitate for a single second to accept his boyfriend's offer of a cuddle in the form of an outstretched arm; damn near melting into the hold the second that warm fingers curled around his waist, and comfortably settling himself beside tyler on the checkered sheets of his childhood bed - cheek resting against the older man's shoulder and his own gaze following the blur of movement on the screen with a hum.

face suddenly appearing back in frame, chubby cheeks flushed and his adorably crooked smile on display, the brunette frantically waved said present in the view of the camera with a high-pitched cheer; a small, max-hand sized plastic replica of yet another superhero weapon to add to his already growing collection.

"'s th'hammer, joshie!" 

"dude, that's so sick," he grinned, his exaggerated gasp of surprise trailing off into a quiet yet completely inevitable laugh at the look of pure childlike joy painting itself across the little one's face as he swung the hammer around - the display complete with wooshing sounds and max's own angelic giggles, "i love it."

"remind me again," the brunette hummed with a tilt of his head as he readjusted ever so slightly to lean back against the headboard, with a gentle brush of his thumb across the exposed skin of the younger's waist where his jumper had hitched in his fidgeting, "thor, is he better or worse than iron man?"

" _daddy,_ " max whined, both the drawn out cry of the word and the furrowing of his eyebrows, in a way that scarily resembled his father, making his frustration evident as he halted in his fight recreations to pout at the other brunette, "how c'n you not 'member?"

"look-"

"captain america is his favourite, then thor, spider-man even though he technically isn't an avenger, hulk, black widow 'cause she's pretty, dude, and then hawkeye and iron man are joint last," josh interrupted with a roll of his eyes in amusement at his boyfriend's seeming lack of knowledge, "we like loki, too."

only a split second of brief silence passing between them, tyler peered down at him with a look that he wasn't sure he'd ever seen before; pouted lips parted ever so slightly in what seemed like astonishment, and his hooded eyes glazed with a hint of something between lust and admiration as he murmured, "i'm not sure why but i really want to kiss you right now."

a desire halted only by the echoed sound of that ever familiar shriek of childlike disgust sounding through the speaker; max still, somehow, blushing wildly and covering his eyes every single time the older man pulled josh into a kiss, and damn near fainting that one time when he'd walked in on a thankfully still clothed tyler hovering above the blue-haired boy and leaving a trail of bruising marks along the column of his neck.

a drawn out eye-roll to mimic the younger's own being his obvious response, the brunette forced his gaze away from where it had been lingering on josh's own bitten lips with a teasing tut, "hey, shouldn't you be getting ready for bed, pup? i don't think mommy will be too happy with either of us if you end up tired and cranky tomorrow morning, now will she?"

forcing his bottom lip out in the signal of a defiant pout and those tiny eyebrows furrowing in obvious dejection at the idea of ending their call so soon, max asked sweetly "but are you coming back soon, daddy?"

and damn, if josh's heart didn't melt for the millionth time since he'd met the younger joseph.

"real soon, i promise," tyler assured with a soft smile and a brush of free fingers back through his hair, and quirking a quizzical eyebrow at his son, "make sure you say thank you for your present, yeah?"

"uh-huh," max nodded obediently with a mirrored flash of his own undeniably angelic smile, one of adorably over-crossed teeth and dimpled on pink cheeks, and a quick kiss to the camera in a signal of his own farewell. "g'night daddy, g'night joshie."

"love you, pup."

and though the blue-haired boy swore every single day of his life that he couldn't possibly love tyler joseph anymore than he already did, he was still sure that he felt his heart fall just the slightest bit further every damn time those two words fell from his boyfriend's lips; whether they were directed towards him or his son.

"you're so good with him," tyler murmured in interruption of his dazed and admittedly infatuated thoughts, tossing his phone aside on the bed and instead reaching up his hand to cup the younger's cheek; the pads of his fingers soothing the warm skin and slowly urging his gaze upwards as he continued, "i don't think you realise how in love with you he is sometimes.. almost as much as i am."

"stop," josh huffed, batting his boyfriend's hand away softly to instead hide against him in embarrassment and simply hoping that the all too familiar burning of his cheeks at the gushing compliment could be disguised against the warmth of tyler's skin; only pulling back ever so slightly to hum his next words, laced with undeniable sincerity, "but seriously, ty.. i just wanted to say thank you for being so good with my family today. i know you're not used to this kind of thing, and that there's a million and one things you'd rather be doing than meeting my parents around dinner like we're a couple of teenagers, but it means the world to me that you went through with it all for me. and they are _definitely_ in love with you, just as much as i am."

really though, josh considered, that was a fact which didn't need to be verbally confirmed at all.

"i know it might not have seemed so at first, but i'm glad you invited me, joshua," the older man noted, voice husky and hushed, with a kiss to faded blue curls of hair as he linked their freed up fingers together between them, "i think this is the most normal thanksgiving i've had in years, and i don't think there's anyone better i could've spent it with."

bashful hum barely audible even in the silence between them and the unwavering rosy flush of his cheeks induced from endless sweetness only seeming the deepen at the heartfelt turn in conversation, the blue-haired boy only smiled softly and responded with an affectionate tease in a weak attempt to overcome his own shyness. "for such an asshole, you're ridiculously sappy, you know that?"

the way tyler's lips twitched up ever so slightly at the corners in the beginnings of his recognisably smug smirk absolutely confirmed that he knew exactly that.

said smug smirk itself apparently being the breaking point for either of their restraints though, the younger barely even had the chance to consider continuing with his teasing before the hold of the strong arm around his waist was tightening and those lips were meeting his own in that earlier mentioned kiss; the combined sensations of the slight scruff on his boyfriend's chin grazing his own skin and his bottom lip being tugged at tenderly and the admittedly heavenly taste of fading black coffee and pumpkin pie filling his mouth being more than enough to confirm that _yeah._

he was definitely more than thankful for tyler joseph this year too.

"happy thanksgiving, kitten."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry (early) Christmas!
> 
> I'm so sorry that this is so late - I had intended to finish it near the start of the month but have had some things going on lately that made it difficult, but hope that it was worth the wait! 
> 
> And I hope you all have a Happy New Year!  
> ❤️

**Author's Note:**

> Part 1 of 2 of a cliche Thanksgiving/meet the parents oneshot - Part 2 should hopefully be longer, and may have possible smut and a possible brief appearance of the little clone. Coming soon!
> 
> (P.S. With Josh being 23 in this AU, Ashley would be 21, Jordan 17 and Abby 15)
> 
> Love you ❤️


End file.
